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WITH FIFE AND DRUM 



























































































































There lay the little city of Santa Fe 







WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

BY 

FLORANCE WALTON TAYLOR 



ILLUSTRATED BY 

ELEANOR MUSSEY YOUNG 


JUNIOR PRESS BOOKS 

ALBERXXWITMAN 
Gr' 4co 

CHICAGO 





Copyright 1936 by 

ALBERT WHITMAN AND COMPANY 


7 





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Printed'in the U.S.A. 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Not a Chance. I 7 

Council Grove. 28 

Pawnee Rock . 38 

Buffalo Boat . 48 

Caches and Water Kegs. 61 

With Fife and Drum. 70 

Willow Bar. 82 

Cibolero . 92 

Santa Fe . 102 

From a Cedar Thicket. 111 

Sam Slips Through.*. 120 


9 

















































LIST OF FULL PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

The lay the little city of Santa Fe.Frontispiece 


There marched Sam and Danny Harrison. 16 

“We are going with the caravan to Santa Fe, sir” 21 
In the late afternoon they prepared their supper 31 

He saw his brother Sam....... 45 

The first wagons reached the other side. 57 

“Dig, brother, dig,” urged Danny. 65 

The mules were starting down the river valley.... 73 

The Indian jerked the wampum from the boy’s 
neck . 87 

“I see a rider out there”. 95 

The fandango was a very colorful affair.107 

There was Danny struggling to hold the rope.117 

The driver pulled up short..125 

11 




























































































































ON THE OLD SANTA FE TRAIL 



• ••Mill] 














































































































































There marched Sam and Danny Harrison 


















































I 

NOT A CHANCE 

W ELL, boys, you might just as well 
turn around and start back,” 
drawled a seasoned trader. 
“There’s not a chance of your 
making Santy Fe in that outfit.” 

“Why not, sir?” asked Sam Harrison 
quickly. 


17 



























WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“It’s too light, my boy, too light,” returned 
the trader. “By the time that wagon gets to 
Council Grove, it’ll be ready to fall apart, and 
that’s only the beginning of your journey.” 

“I don’t know, sir,” replied Sam with spirit. 
“We’ve come from Illinois in it.” 

“You have? All the way from Illinois here 
to Independence, Missouri?” The old trader 
looked at the boys with more interest. “How 
do you two lads happen to be traveling 
alone?” 

“We’re not alone, sir,” replied Sam. 

“No, sir. Our mother is with us,” put in 
Danny Harrison. 

“Your mother?” 

“Yes, sir. You see, she isn’t very well. We 
intend to take her to Santa Fe, where the cli¬ 
mate will help her to get well again. At least, 
that’s what father told us to do.” 

“Your father? He expects you two boys—? 
Hra-m. Well, where is he?” 

“He’s dead, sir. He died of the fever back 
in Illinois. You see we promised that we 
would take Mother and strike for the Santa 
Fe Trail as soon as possible,” explained Sam. 
“And so here we are, waiting for the caravan 
to entrain.” 


18 


NOT A CHANCE 


“Well, well. You are two brave lads, but 
there’s not a chance of making it in that out¬ 
fit. I wish I had the space and I’d take you 
on with me, but I’m overloaded now. Well, 
good-bye,” and the trader moved on to chat 
at the next outfit. 

“Sam, what are we going to do?” asked 
Danny who was almost in tears. “He is the 
third man who has told us that we can’t reach 
Santa Fe.” 

“Never mind, Danny.” Sam was muster¬ 
ing courage to console his younger brother. 
Hadn’t his father told him that he must take 
care of his mother and Danny? 

“Something will happen to help us. We’ll 
make it all right. Mind that you don’t tell 
Mother what they have said about the wagon 
and our team. The caravan train does not 
start until morning and I’ll think up some 
plan before that.” 

“It seems that everyone in the world is go¬ 
ing west, doesn’t it?” asked Danny, trying 
to be brave in his turn. “Those men over 
there must be trappers. Probably they go 
part of the way with us before they strike out 
for the Northwest.” The boys discussed the 
people who were waiting for the caravan to 
19 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


entrain, but each was secretly wondering’ 
what could be done to enable them to make 
the trip. 

“Howdy, boys,” drawled a kindly voice, 
“where are you going?” 

The boys looked up into the friendly eyes 
of a tall man who had just come up to their 
wagon. 

“We are going with the caravan to Santa 
Fe, sir,” replied Sam. 

“In that outfit?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Boys, you’ll never make it. I’m afraid 
your wagon is too light. Where are your 
folks?” 

“Sh! Not so loud, please, sir. Our mother 
is asleep inside the wagon. She is ill and we 
are going to take her to Santa Fe for her 
health. We promised our father before he 
died that we’d get her to Santa Fe.” 

“Hm-m. That’s too bad. What’s your 
name, my boy?” 

“Sam Harrison, sir. This is my brother, 
Danny.” 

“Harrison. Not one of the Harrisons from 
Marietta, Ohio, are you?” 

Sam’s face lighted quickly. “Why, yes, sir, 
20 






































WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


that is, our father was Matthew Harrison 
from Marietta. We were born in Illinois.” 

“Matthew Harrison?” The tall gaunt man 
thought for a minute. “I wonder if he could 
have been one of Peter Harrison’s boys.” 

“Yes, he was, sir. Peter Harrison was our 
grandfather, but I never saw him. He was 
killed in an Indian raid when I was a small 
boy.” 

“I knew Peter Harrison when I was a lad, 
Sam, but I did not know his children, for I 
left that country many years ago. I’m going 
to Santa Fe too. This is my third trip over the 
trail. I have been doing a little trading and 
I’ve a load to take in the morning. If you 
boys can dispose of that wagon and most of 
your baggage, I’ll buy your mule team and 
you can sleep with me. I have a Pittsburgh 
wagon and it takes eight mules to draw it. I 
have plenty of room in the wagon for your 
mother.” 

“Oh! If we only could go!” exclaimed 
Danny anxiously. 

“I don’t see why we can’t arrange it. I 
have been looking for another good team of 
mules. One of mine has gone lame and I’ll 
have to leave the animal here. I need eight 

22 


NOT A CHANCE 


mules to pull the wagon through some of the 
sandy places which we shall encounter along 
the route. There are some traders who think 
that oxen are better for the trip than mules, 
but I’ve tried both and I prefer mules every 
time. Oxen lose their strength when the 
grass is burned off and they don’t travel as 
fast or as comfortably as the mules do. My 
name is Riley, Henry Riley. What do you 
boys say to joining in with me?” 

“Oh, sir, we—er—” began Sam. “If our 
mother is willing, we shall be glad to go along 
With you. You see, a little while ago we were 
a bit discouraged, for several of the traders 
told us that we could not reach Santa Fe in 
our wagon. They have all told us that it is 
too light.” 

“So it is, boys. I haven’t much room, but I 
can easily make a place for Peter Harrison’s 
grandsons. Do you have much of a load?” 

“No, sir. We have our household goods, 
but we can get rid of them,” replied Sam. 

“We have our groceries, coffee, salt, sugar 
and flour. Then we have some rice and tea 
for Mother. Oh, and fruit and crackers too,” 
added Danny proudly. 

“That’s a fine outlay, Danny,” laughed Mr. 

23 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


Riley. “We shall need all of those items be¬ 
fore we reach old Santa Fe. Well, boys, find 
out what your mother wants you to do. I'll 
be going along now. If you decide to go with 
me, just come over and say the word. My 
outfit is the third one on the right. I’ll be 
back there in an hour. If you don’t come, I 
shall have to look about for some mules for 
my wagon.” 

“Very well, sir. We’ll let you know as soon 
as we talk to Mother. Good-bye.” 

“Sam,” began Danny, as soon as Mr. Riley 
was out of hearing, “do you think it will be 
all right to go on with him? Do you suppose 
that Mother will consent to it?” 

“I believe he is all right, Danny. When 
Mother knows that we can’t possibly go on in 
this wagon, I think that she will be glad to 
make the change. Let’s ask her now.” 

“Mother, Mother,” called Danny excitedly 
as he climbed up inside the wagon. 

“Yes, son,” replied a weak, but pleasant 
voice. 

“Sam and I have something important to 
discuss with you. It’s about going in the cara¬ 
van train in the morning.” 

“What is it, Danny?” 

24 


NOT A CHANCE 


“Oh, Sam, you tell her,” replied Danny. He 
lost his excitement when he heard his moth¬ 
er’s weak voice. 

“Well, Mother, several different traders 
have been telling us that our wagon is too 
light for us to try to reach Santa Fe in. Ev¬ 
ery man who has passed us, has stopped to 
say that we can never make the trip with our 
outfit,” said Sam, bravely carrying on. 

“Oh, boys, what shall we do?” 

# “One man came along,” went on Sam hur¬ 
riedly, for he noticed that his mother sounded 
discouraged, “a Mr. Riley who used to know 
Grandfather Harrison. He has offered to take 
us with him, if we dispose of our wagon and 
baggage. He wants to buy our team of 
mules.” 

“Boys,” replied their mother, “I’m just not 
able to decide what is best, but if you think 
that this Mr. Riley is to be trusted, we can 
try it, for we can’t stay here. Don’t sell the 
mules, though, but tell Mr. Riley that he may 
use the team in payment for taking us with 
him. Sell everything else except the grocer¬ 
ies, my trunk, and our bedding.” 

“Everything, Mother?” asked Sam and 
Danny in chorus. 


25 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“Yes, everything else, for he won’t have 
much room for our traps.” 

“Mother,” cried Danny, “I’ll have to take 
my drum. I just couldn’t get along without 
it.” 

“And my fife,” added Sam, as appealingly 
as he possibly could. 

“Your fife won’t take up much room, Sam, 
but Danny’s drum is out of the question. You 
can’t take it, son, as it is entirely too bulky. 
Perhaps you can sell it here in Independence 
and get a good price for it.” 

Danny’s face fell. “Mother,” he choked, 
“I can’t sell my drum, I just can’t.” 

“Mother,” put in Sam, for he saw that 
Danny was ready to cry, “if Mr. Riley says 
that there will be room in the wagon for the 
drum, may Danny take it?” 

“Yes, son, of course he may take it, if Mr. 
Riley says so, but don’t insist on it.” 

“All right, Mother. Come on, Danny. Let’s 
go and talk with Mr. Riley. I’m sure he can 
manage to take it, and I’m glad we have de¬ 
cided to travel with him.” 

* * 

Independence, Missouri, in the 1830’s was 
26 


NOT A CHANCE 


the starting point of the Santa Fe Trail. It 
was a straggling little village for the most 
of the year, but in the springtime, it bustled 
with the activity of the departing overland 
caravans. Today it is a thriving town of over 
15,000 people, just east of Kansas. 



27 






COUNCIL GROVE 


Eleven days later Danny was perched on 
the high wagon seat beside Mr. Riley. He 
and Sam usually took turns riding beside 
their new benefactor. They had liked Mr. 
Riley from the first time that they had seen 
him, and each day saw their admiration for 
him increasing. Before the end of their jour¬ 
ney both they and the other members of the 


28 





COUNCIL GROVE 


caravan train were to know him for a wise 
and fearless man. 

They had come about one hundred and 
fifty miles over the trail from Independence 
and were now within sight of Council Grove, 
a beautiful strip of timbered bottom land 
nearly half a mile in width, bordering on the 
Neosho River. 

As Danny gazed over the broad backs of 
the eight mules at the beautiful trees now 
bordering the horizon, his eyes lighted with 
anticipation. “What are we going to do at 
Council Grove, Mr. Riley?” 

“We’ll camp for a few days, sonny, and 
give you two boys a chance to exercise your 
legs a bit. There will be more wagons here, 
waiting for us to join them. This is the last 
meeting place of the journey, and it is here 
that we shall organize the caravan.” 

“More travelers? That will be fun. How do 
you organize a caravan, Mr. Riley?” 

“You’ll see very shortly, my boy. I imagine 
that a captain will be chosen tonight. He 
will assign a task to every man, he orders 
the travel route for each day and determines 
where the camp shall be pitched for the 
night.” 


29 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

“My, the captain is an important man then, 
isn’t he?” 

“Well, yes and no. Certainly every caravan 
needs a captain, but since the men do not 
have to obey him, they often neglect the du¬ 
ties, which he assigns to them.” 

“I think you would make a fine captain, 
Mr. Riley. I’ll be glad to do my share of the 
work.” 

“Thanks, Danny. I wish every one were 
as ready to help as you and Sam are.” 

“What do you want us to do at Council 
Grove?” 

“There won’t be anything to do until the 
time for the Council. I want you and Sam to 
come to the meeting to see how it is con¬ 
ducted. Until that time you may walk about 
and entertain your mother.” 

“Mother has seemed so cheerful since we 
started that I’m sure she will soon be well 
again,” said Danny happily. 

“I think she is improving too, Danny, and 
she is certainly in excellent spirits.” 

In a short time they reached Council Grove 
where a great many wagons were waiting 
for them. Mr. Riley joined the men imme¬ 
diately, while the boys and their mother spent 

30 



In the late afternoon they prepared their supper 
























WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

the afternoon walking about and resting 
after their long ride. 

In the late afternoon, after they had rest¬ 
ed, they prepared their supper over a hastily 
constructed camp fire. 

When they had all eaten supper a general 
council of the caravan was called, and the 
men seated themselves in a semi-circle on 
the ground. 

“Come over here, boys,” called Mr. Riley. 
“You must sit in the circle with us, for you 
are counted as men in this assembly.” 

Danny looked inquiringly at Sam. 

“Come on, Danny. Mr. Riley is right. We 
shall have to do a man’s part. Let’s go with 
him.” 

“All right, Sam, if you say so.” 

The two boys joined the crowd of men. As 
soon as all were seated, a short stout man 
called the meeting to order. 

“Men of this caravan train,” he began, “we 
are met here to organize this caravan for 
traveling purposes, before we proceed to 
Santa Fe. Nominations are in order for cap¬ 
tain.” 

A farmer in a blue jean coat called, “Her¬ 
man Jones.” 


32 



COUNCIL GROVE 


“William Hanson,” cried a wagoner from 
the other side of the circle. 

“Tom Bagby,” said a tall backwoodsman 
who wore a leather hunting shirt. 

Thereupon a great cry arose and it seemed 
that every man was shouting a name. Every¬ 
one seemed to be talking at once in such loud 
tones that Sam and Danny were just a little 
frightened. Finally one name seemed to be 
called from all sides. 

“Riley. Riley. Henry Riley.” 

“Why, that’s our Mr. Riley!” whispered 
Danny to Sam. 

To their surprise and delight, Mr. Riley 
!was elected almost immediately. He sepa¬ 
rated himself from the group of men and be¬ 
gan to speak. 

“Men,” he said, “I am deeply moved by this 
honor bestowed upon me, and I shall do my 
best to carry this caravan to a speedy and 
safe arrival at its destination, old Santa Fe.” 

“Hurrah! Hurrah!” came the cry from 
every throat. 

“To this end, we shall now organize this 
caravan.” Mr. Riley glanced around the semi¬ 
circle. “I see men from all stations of life in 
this crowd; merchants, wagoners, traders, 
33 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


farmers, even invalids. We all want the same 
thing and that is to reach the West safely.” 

“Yes, yes. Hurrah!” cried all the men 
again, while Sam and Danny beamed posses¬ 
sively at their benefactor. 

“I am going to divide the train into three 
parts. We have about sixty-eight wagons 
with one small mounted cannon. Ned Timm, 
you will serve as lieutenant of the first divi¬ 
sion; William Stanley, the second, and Hor¬ 
ace Black, the third. It will be your duty to 
inspect every ravine on the route before al¬ 
lowing the wagons to cross. You will also 
have charge of the encampment each night. 
Please call the roll to determine the number 
of men in each of the divisions so that I may 
assign guard duty to all.” 

The three lieutenants began to walk about, 
calling the name of each man in his division. 

“While they are determining the number 
of men,” went on Mr. Riley, “I shall explain 
the duty of the guards. No able man shall be 
exempt from this duty. If there are any loaf¬ 
ers here, you will stand guard in your turn or 
you will be left alone on the prairie to perish. 
We need every man, for from now on, there 
will be constant danger from marauding In- 
34 


COUNCIL GROVE 


dians. There will be eight watches. Each 
guard will stand a fourth of every alternate 
night; Even my companions, Sam and Danny 
Harrison will not be exempt from this duty. 
Stand up, boys.” 

“Get up, Danny,” cried Sam, as he strug¬ 
gled to his feet. The two boys stood up amidst 
a great clapping of hands. 

“Now, do you lieutenants have a report of 
your divisions?” asked Mr. Riley. 

“Yes, sir, we have,” replied William Stan¬ 
ley as he handed him the report. 

Mr. Riley read it quickly and turned to the 
waiting men to announce, “We have one hun¬ 
dred and fifty men, a few invalids and several 
women. That is a fine crowd. We shall remain 
here tomorrow and entrain for the West the 
next morning. I shall assign guard duty to¬ 
morrow. Let the laborers look to their lum¬ 
ber for axle and other wagon repairs. Now, 
in lieu of buglers for this caravan, I want to 
present to you our fife and drum corps, Sam 
and Danny Harrison. Come up to the front, 
boys.” 

“Let’s have some music now,” cried several 
of the men. 

Sam and Danny were embarrassed by so 
35 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


much publicity, but they walked up to Mr. 
Riley obediently. 

“Boys, get your instruments and show this 
crowd what you can do.” 

“Come on, Danny,” cried Sam as he dashed 
over to their wagon to get his fife. 

“Mother,” called Danny when they arrived 
at the wagon. “Mother, Mr. Riley wants us to 
play for the men. I want my drum.” 

Mrs. Harrison smiled at him. “Here it is, 
Dan. I am glad that you can help Mr. Riley 
a little. Do your best.” 

“Yes, Mother, I’ll try,” said Danny joy¬ 
fully. 

“So’ll I,” called Sam as he dashed away 
with his fife. 

“What would you like us to play?” asked 
Sam when they returned to the men. 

“Yankee Doodle cried several. 

The boys smiled and struck up Yankee 
Doodle. Soon every foot was tapping merrily 
and many voices joined in the song. 

“More! More!” roared the men when the 
boys had finished. 

Sam looked inquiringly at Mr. Riley. 

“Go ahead, boys. Give them what they 
want.” 


36 


COUNCIL GROVE 



The boys played Gentle Zitella, The Girl I 
Left Behind Me, and many more tunes until 
Sam was quite breathless. 

Finally Mr. Riley stood up and stretched 
out his arm for silence. “We have had enough 
now, men. The boys are exhausted. We can’t 
thank you boys enough for this music and we 
hope to have more of it all along our way. It 
is quite late and the revelry must stop. Every 
man to his wagon.” 

Each and every man returned whistling to 
his wagon in better spirits than at any time 
since leaving Independence. 


* * 


Council Grove is today a city of 2,851 peo¬ 
ple, located on the original site of Council 
Grove, the meeting place of the caravans. It 
is about fifty miles southwest of Topeka, 
Kansas. 



37 






PAWNEE ROCK 


“Isn’t it getting time for us to see some 
buffaloes, Sam?” asked Danny as they rode 
along the trail on the high seat of the Pitts¬ 
burgh wagon. 

“I think it is, Danny. I’ve been expecting 
to see some ever since we left Cottonwoods, 
several days ago.” 

“Been expecting to see what, Sam?” asked 
38 






PAWNEE ROCK 


Mr. Riley, who had been giving his attention 
to the mules. 

“Buffaloes, Mr. Riley,” replied Danny 
quickly. “I heard some of the men talking 
about them the night that we camped at 
Cottonwoods.” 

“Buffaloes. Oh, to be sure! We’ll be sight¬ 
ing a herd most any time now, I think. You 
know the other evening when we crossed 
Walnut Creek, I thought I saw some buffalo 
tracks in the soft mud by the river.” 

“Oh, Mr. Riley!” exclaimed Danny. 
“Really? I’d love to see some real buffaloes.” 

“And taste some too, my boy. I could stand 
a little fresh meat for a change, couldn’t 
you?” 

“I’ve never tasted buffalo meat, Mr. Riley, 
but I should like to try it.” 

“Well, you boys keep a sharp lookout ahead 
and we may meet a herd. Who knows?” 

“Let’s clean up father’s guns,” suggested 
Danny. “Come on, Sam, down inside the 
wagon.” 

The two boys climbed down from their high 
seat and into the wagon. They went to the 
old trunk which they had brought with them 
from Independence. 


39 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“What are you boys doing?” asked Mrs. 
Harrison. 

“Oh, Mother, we are going to get out 
Father’s guns and clean them, for we are 
getting ready for a buffalo hunt.” 

“A buffalo hunt? Why, where are there 
any buffaloes?” asked Mrs. Harrison anx¬ 
iously. 

“We haven’t seen any yet, but we are in 
buffalo country now, and Mr. Riley says that 
it won’t be long until we sight a herd.” 

“Where are the guns, Mother?” asked 
Danny, who had been searching for them in 
the old trunk. 

“They are in the bottom of the trunk and 
you had better let them stay there. What do 
you two boys know about hunting buffaloes?” 

“We can try, Mother, can’t we? We can try 
to get one the same as the rest of the men.” 

Mrs. Harrison laughed gaily. “All right, 
boys. Get your guns ready. I expect that you 
know as much about buffalo hunting as some 
of the men do. But do be careful with those 
guns.” 

The two boys ferreted down into the trunk 
and produced two guns which had belonged 
to their father. Each boy began to clean and 


40 


PAWNEE ROCK 


polish one of them and had worked almost an 
hour, when suddenly they heard a scurrying 
and scampering of horses outside. 

“Boys,” called Mr. Riley. “Sam. Danny. 
Come up here. We have just sighted a buffalo 
herd.” 

Sam and. Danny lost no time in climbing 
up to the seat with Mr. Riley. Sam was grasp¬ 
ing his father’s gun. There just ahead of 
them was a fine herd of about one hundred 
head. Every horseman was riding toward 
the buffaloes. Some of the wagoners were 
climbing down from their wagons and join¬ 
ing the race afoot. 

“Come on, Danny,” cried Sam as he started 
to climb over the wagon wheel. 

“Not so fast there, Sam,” called Mr. Riley. 
“Do you know how to use that gun?” 

“No, sir, but I can try,” replied Sam, hesi¬ 
tating at the wheel. 

“No, Sam, you must not try to go; nor you 
either, Danny. Your time will come by-and- 
by. There is great danger that there will be 
a stampede and where would you two be 
'afoot? No, my lad, we have need of our fife 
and drum corps in this caravan.” 

Sam bit his lip in vexation, but well he 
41 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


knew that Mr. Riley’s word was law for him 
as well as the other members of the caravan 
train. “Very well, sir,” he replied, and sat 
down on the wagon seat to watch the hunt. 

“Look, Sam!” cried Danny, pointing to the 
herd. “We mustn’t go out there. See how the 
buffaloes are running in every direction.” 

“Boys,” said Mr. Riley, “you may begin 
building the fires, for I can see that we shall 
pitch camp right here. The men will bring in 
several animals and they will want good fires 
to roast the meat for supper.” 

“All right, sir,” replied Sam, glad to be of 
some use in the buffalo hunt. The boys 
climbed down and began to work, and it was 
not long before they had several roaring fires 
which would make splendid beds of coal for 
the buffalo meat. 

When the men came back to the camp they 
brought several carcasses with them and 
in a short time the appetizing odor of 
roasting meat filled the air. They had a merry 
feast that night, for the juicy buffalo steaks 
were a welcome relief after almost a month 
of salt meat. After the activity of the after¬ 
noon the caravan soon became quiet. 

In their haste to take care of the buffalo 


42 


PAWNEE ROCK 


meat, the men had been a little careless about 
forming the camp for the night. They had 
neglected to arrange the wagons in such a 
way that they formed a corral for the oxen 
and mules. Some of the men had forgotten to 
secure their animals at all and others had 
used only forehopples. 

Forehopples are leather straps or ropes 
placed upon the forelegs. A sideline hopple 
is more secure for it connects a fore and a 
hind leg. With a sideline hopple, an animal 
can scarcely increase its pace beyond a hob¬ 
bling walk, whereas with a forehopple it can 
scamper away very rapidly. Only a few of 
the men had tethered their mules to stakes. 

Suddenly the oxen started up with a thun¬ 
dering noise and rushed towards the outlet 
which had not been protected carefully 
enough by the wagons. Immediately the 
mules were thrown into a panic and each one 
started scurrying away. Sam, who was sleep¬ 
ing nearest to the wagon, wakened with the 
first rattle of the neighboring oxen yoke. 

“Mr. Riley, Mr. Riley,” screamed Sam, as 
he jumped from his pallet. Danny was awake 
now and thoroughly frightened. 

“What is it, Sam?” 


43 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“I don’t know. Something must have 
frightened the animals. Grab that mule 
there, Danny.” As he talked, Sam swung on 
to the harness of the mule nearest him. 

When Danny heard Sam’s order, he started 
to seize a mule, but became entangled in its 
harness. The mule started off, dragging him 
with it. Danny hung on desperately, for he 
knew that if he fell, he would be trampled 
underfoot. How far the mule dragged him, 
he did not know, but it finally became so 
tangled in its forehopple that it was forced 
to stop. 

Danny was very much frightened now, for 
he did not know how to find his way back to 
the caravan. Indians might be lurking near 
him in the dark. The mule lay panting beside 
him and together they waited for the dawn 
to come. Danny tried very hard not to cry, 
but he just could not keep the tears back for 
he was all alone on the wild, trackless prairie. 

Suppose the caravan train should not be 
able to find him! He tried to call out but the 
words would not come. Perhaps it was better 
so, for he might attract some skulking Indian 
by his outcries. Almost too frightened to 
breathe, he lay by the side of the mule. 

44 



He saw his brother Sam 





































































































































WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


Finally after what seemed an eternity of 
waiting to Danny, daybreak came and he was 
able to look about him. Just in front of him 
was a huge rock, which jutted out on the 
plain. Slowly leading the mule, he crept 
toward the rock. It was very large, about 
twenty feet in height, and was covered with 
chalk marks. Creeping nearer, he could read 
some of them and soon could make out 

THIS IS PAWNEE ROCK. YOU ARE IN 
INDIAN GROUND. DANGER. 

Above this inscription were some queer sym¬ 
bols which he could not understand. Sud¬ 
denly he heard a shout behind him. He turned 
and saw, coming around from the other side 
of the rock, his brother Sam and the other 
mule. 

“Danny, Danny,” cried Sam. “You’re safe! 
I’ve found you. I wonder where we are.” 

“Oh, Sam,” said Danny, his eyes filling 
with tears, “I have been so frightened all 
night. The mule dragged me almost up to 
this rock.” 

“And I’ve been just on the other side of it. 
What does it say there?” Sam read the chalk 
writing. “Why Danny, that’s the rock that 
Mr. Riley was telling us about. We are still 
46 


PAWNEE ROCK 


on the trail. We can’t have come so far dur¬ 
ing the night, for the mules were wearing 
their forehopples. Courage, Danny. We’ll 
wait here and I’m sure that the caravan will 
soon be along this way.” 

“Oh, I hope that it comes soon, Sam,” said 
Danny hopefully. 


* * 

Pawnee Rock, the once famous landmark 
of the Santa Fe Trail, is now merely a mass 
of sandstone, since much of it has been cut 
away by various construction gangs. The 
remaining rock is included in one of the state 
parks of Kansas. It is located in Barton 
County, just a few miles west of Great Bend. 
During the Santa Fe Trail days, it was the 
great lookout of the Pawnees on their raids 
against the Sioux. 



47 













IV 

BUFFALO BOAT 

Sam and Danny were busy unfastening the 
chains which bound the mules together. Sev¬ 
eral days had passed since their wild ride 
through the darkness to Pawnee Rock, and 
the boys were none the worse for their ex- 
48 







BUFFALO BOAT 


perienee. Sam paused a moment in his work, 
“Do you suppose we’ll see any Indians today, 
Danny?” 

“Oh, Sam, I wish we would, don’t you?” 

“Well, I do and I don’t,” replied Sam. “It 
would be all right if we should see them first, 
but I wouldn’t care to have them come swoop¬ 
ing down on us.” 

i “Nor I, either. It makes my spine prickle, 
but I guess I’ve been feeling nervous ever 
since we left Pawnee Rock.” 

“Because it said we were in Indian ground 
and there was danger?” 

“Well, yes,” said Danny. “You remember 
that we saw camp fire traces when we crossed 
Ash Creek too.” 

“That’s right. And Horace Black found an 
Indian moccasin. It’s certain that they have 
been in this country lately.” 

“Sam, weren’t you frightened the night 
that the mules ran off with us?” 

“Yes, Danny, to tell the truth I was. I 
wasn’t afraid of Indians then. I didn’t even 
know that we were in Indian country and I 
didn’t suppose that they could find me in the 
dark.” Sam laughed heartily at his mistaken 
notions. “I was afraid though, that I was far 
49 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


off the trail and that the caravan would never 
find us.” 

“Weren’t we lucky that those mules made 
for Pawnee Rock, instead of away off some 
place on the prairies?” 

“I should say we were. By the way, I heard 
Mr. Riley and Mr. Stanley saying that if we 
were lucky, we would reach the Arkansas 
River today.” 

“Did you? I thought that Mr. Riley seemed 
just a little worried about something or 
other.” 

“Catch up! Catch up!” came the call from 
the wagon train. 

“Come on, boys. Are you ready?” asked 
Mr. Riley as he came up to their wagon. 

“Yes, sir,” replied Sam, “we are just finish¬ 
ing harnessing the mules.” 

“This is going to be a big day. I think we 
shall cross the Arkansas River before sun¬ 
down,” announced Mr. Riley. 

“That will be great. We are making good 
time, aren’t we?” asked Sam when he and 
Danny had climbed upon the high wagon 
seat. 

“What is Mother doing?” inquired Danny. 

“Well, sonny, I think that she is mending. 

50 


BUFFALO BOAT 


You had better jump into the wagon and see.” 

“All right,” replied Danny and jumped 
back into the wagon. 

“Sam, my boy, we may have a hard day,” 
said Mr. Riley in a low tone as soon as Danny 
had disappeared. 

“How so, sir?” asked Sam anxiously. 

“Timm and Stanley have been reconnoiter- 
ing with Black and they think that the Ar¬ 
kansas River will be out of its banks.” 

“What can we do, sir?” 

“We’re not certain yet. The first time that 
I made this trip, the river was high and 
treacherous, but we made the crossing in 
good shape. It’s a dangerous stream at best, 
as it is full of quicksands at any time. I’ve 
seen mules up to their thighs in the sands. 
You know that we’ve had several hard rains 
of late and Black reports that there have been 
bad storms ahead of us. Just look at this 
vegetation around us. See how green and 
luxuriant it is.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“Usually by this time of the year, it is dry 
and burned off. That shows that there has 
been a powerful lot of rain out here this 
spring.” 


51 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“How soon do you think we’ll reach the 
river today, Mr. Riley?” 

“Stanley says that we ought to make it 
about three or four o’clock this afternoon. 
We want to pitch camp on the other side if we 
can and avoid the risk of any more rain to¬ 
night. After we cross the river, we start into 
the desert and the next fifty miles is the hard¬ 
est part of the journey. The route is all sand 
with not a wagon track to guide us.” 

“How will we get across it, Mr. Riley?” 

“We shall have to depend almost entirely 
upon the compass and the stars. I’m forget¬ 
ting though, my boy; here I’m talking to you 
about these dangers, just as I would talk to 
Timm or Black. You’re only a lad, after all.” 

“Sir, I am glad to have you talk to me about 
the dangers. Besides, thirteen years is al¬ 
most a man, isn’t it?” 

“Yes, Sam, my boy, thirteen years old in 
this Indian country is almost a man. You 
have a more level head on your shoulders 
than many of these traders.” 

“Thank you, sir. I’ll try to deserve your 
confidence.” 

“Not a word of this danger to your mother 
or to Danny. They must not worry about the 
52 


BUFFALO BOAT 


river. Don’t you worry either, Sam. Old 
Henry has made two trips to Santa Fe and 
he will make the third. Never fear.” 

“All right, sir,” promised Sam. He couldn’t 
keep from wondering just how they would 
cross the turbulent river however, or what 
might be in store for the caravan train, with 
the increasing signs of Indians and the 
threatening high waters. 

The caravan was in high spirits and most 
of the men were singing. Only a few of them 
knew that there would be any danger in 
crossing the Arkansas, and these were wisely 
holding their own counsel. Almost all day the 
trail had been ascending a broad plateau, 
about three o’clock in the afternoon, they 
reached the crest and started on the long de¬ 
scent. Two horsemen were seen at some dis¬ 
tance galloping toward them. As they drew 
nearer, Mr. Riley could see that they were the 
scouts, Timm and Stanley, who were return¬ 
ing to the wagon train. The river could not 
be far away. 

“What news, boys?” asked Mr. Riley. 

“The river is on a rampage, sir. It is far 
out of its banks. It looks like a dangerous 
crossing.” 


53 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“How far are we from the river, Timm?” 

“About four miles or less, sir.” 

“What do you suggest doing?” 

“I don’t know, sir,” replied Stanley. “We 
left Black to find the best crossing. We shall 
have to swim for it, that’s certain.” 

“How about camping on this side of the 
river and waiting until morning, boys? Per¬ 
haps the river will have receded a little by 
that time.” 

“I shouldn’t advise that, Mr. Riley,” an¬ 
swered Stanley. “It looks and smells as if we 
would get more rain. In that case, there is 
no telling how long it will be before we can 
make the crossing.” 

“Well said, Stanley. You choose some men 
to go with you, then go back to help Black 
stake a crossing for the wagons. Mind that 
you choose good swimmers.” 

“Very well, sir.” 

Timm and Stanley rode down the length of 
the caravan train, calling out to a man now 
and then along the way. Soon they had a 
dozen horsemen assembled with whom they 
hurried away toward the river. 

“That means that there will be danger, 
doesn’t it, Mr. Riley?” asked Sam quietly. 

54 


BUFFALO BOAT 


“Yes, Sam, my boy, I am afraid that it does. 
Timm and the others are good scouts though, 
and they’ll have a way thought out by the 
time we arrive. I would have gone with them, 
but I did not want to get the wagon train un¬ 
duly excited. We’ll make a better crossing, 
if everyone keeps his head.” 

In a short time, they could hear the rush¬ 
ing of the river. 

“That’s a queer thing, Sam,” began Mr. 
Riley, “ordinarily the Arkansas is a quiet, 
unpretentious, sluggish old river, but when 
these spring freshets start in the mountains, 
it becomes a regular torrent. Just listen to 
that water.” 

Others in the caravan train heard the rush¬ 
ing water and a general uneasiness was evi¬ 
dent throughout the entire company. Fi¬ 
nally after some anxious minutes, they could 
make out the surging waters in the distance. 
When all of the men could see the river quite 
plainly, Mr. Riley ordered the wagon train to 
stop. 

“The river! The river!” cried several. 

“Gone wild!” shrieked others. 

“There are no banks,” cried a frightened 
new trader. 


55 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

Mr. Riley blew a shrill blast on his whistle 
for silence. 

“Members of this caravan,” he began, 
“please compose yourselves so that I can ex¬ 
plain to you the method of crossing this tur¬ 
bulent river.” 

The men stopped their muttering to listen. 

“The crossing will be difficult, for the river 
is dangerous. But we shall make it in safety 
if every man will do his duty unhesitatingly. 
Our lieutenants have staked out a crossing, 
as you will notice if you will look on either 
bank. They tell me that we shall have to 
swim the animals, but that will not be a dif¬ 
ficult feat. 

“Now we must have some buffalo boats 
constructed. Please get out your buffalo 
hides, if you have any. We shall stretch these 
hides over empty wagon beds, thereby mak¬ 
ing boats which will carry the people safely 
across the river. The remaining wagons will 
have to be driven over with double teams. 
Every man who can swim well will please 
step forward.” 

Several men stepped out from the caravan. 

“You men can help get the animals across. 
Follow the course which the lieutenants point 
56 




The first wagons reached the other side 



























































WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


out to you so that you may avoid the quick¬ 
sands. Every man to his task!” 

The men set to work with a will. Some of 
them began stretching buffalo hides over the 
empty wagon beds; others were doubling the 
teams so that they could pull the cargo 
across the river. 

“Here, Sam,” called Mr. Riley, “you and 
Danny come over here. You can both help 
to even up the cargo on these wagons. Each 
wagon will have to be weighted as evenly as 
possible, so that the animals can get across 
without mishap.” 

“Very well, sir,” replied the boys. 

The boys worked valiantly, carrying boxes 
from one wagon to another until at last Mr. 
Riley said that they were ready to start 
through the ford. Lieutenant Black led the 
way, plunging his black horse into the surg¬ 
ing waters. The oxen were started immedi¬ 
ately after him, because they forded streams 
much better than the mules, which often be¬ 
came excited by the swirling waters. The 
first six wagons reached the other side in 
safety. These were followed by a load of 
traders on the buffalo boats. Then Lieuten¬ 
ant Stanley started across, leading the mules. 

58 


BUFFALO BOAT 


“Watch those mules,” warned Mr. Riley. 

“Look, Sam,” cried Danny, “look at that 
mule in front! It seems to be frightened, 
doesn’t it?” 

Danny had scarcely spoken when the mule, 
frightened by the rushing water all about, 
floundered, slipped, dragged its harness off 
and stopped in mid-stream. 

“What can they do?” cried Danny. 

“I don’t know. Watch and see,” replied 
Sam, as he pressed forward to see what was 
going to happen. 

Several of the expert swimmers started 
toward the mule. The man who reached it 
first, grasped the bit and began to tug fierce¬ 
ly at the mule. This only served to frighten 
it the more. 

“Wait a minute,” called one of the men 
who was swimming as fast as he could. 
“Don’t pull the bit so hard. Ease up on it.” 
When he reached the mule, he began to talk 
to it, petting it reassuringly all the while. 

“Catch the other side,” he said to the man 
who was tugging at the mule. “Then we can 
pull together.” 

The two of them, talking to the mule and 
pulling gently on the bit at the same time,. 

59 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


swam at its side and coaxed it across the 
river. 

Several other mules had to be pulled out 
at the same spot, but all of the oxen crossed 
without any trouble. 

“Now, boys,” Mr. Riley said, as he turned 
to Sam and Danny. “It is time for us to cross. 
Climb aboard this last buffalo boat.” 

The two boys obeyed with alacrity, sitting 
in the very front. What fun it was, crossing 
the Arkansas in such a queer boat! 

“It’s really very comfortable,” marvelled 
Danny, “I’m not at all afraid. Are you, 
Sam?” 

“Why, of course not,” replied Sam. 



60 









V 

CACHES AND WATER KEGS 

The next morning, Sam and Danny decid¬ 
ed to go on a private expedition of their own 
before the caravan should entrain. They 
slipped away from the camp and walked 
along the river bank for several miles. 

“Now, Danny, you see it’s along this river 

61 




WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


that the caches are supposed to be,” ex¬ 
plained Sam, while he searched the ground 
on either side of him. 

“What caches, Sam?” 

“Don’t you remember the caches, Danny? 
They were the hiding places that Mr. Riley 
told us about.” 

“Oh! Do you mean those places where the 
traders sometimes hid their valuables?” 

“Of course. He said that when they were 
afraid of being captured by the Indians or 
had to deposit some of their cargo in order 
to make better progress, they made a cache 
in the ground to contain their valuables.” 

“Yes, but I thought he said that after they 
had dug the hole and secreted their treasure, 
they always made campfires over the spot, so 
that the Indians could not find the caches.” 

“Not always. He said they often made 
them in the island of the Arkansas and that 
the mossy pits there are the remnants of the 
secret caches. We can’t see them today 
though, for the river is too high for us to get 
over to the island. He also said that some¬ 
times they were made a little distance away 
from the river bank, so that when the river 
rose, it could not reach them.” 


62 


CACHES AND WATER KEGS 

“Oh, I see. Do you think that we’ll find a 
cache this morning?” 

“I should like to find one, but we probably 
won’t. Still we can look around a little.” 

The boys went close to the water’s edge and 
began peering along the ground for an old 
cache. They walked quite a distance, pos¬ 
sibly three-quarters of a mile, but were not 
rewarded with anything which even resem¬ 
bled a secret hiding place. 

“I think we had better turn back,” said 
Sam. “It is getting late, almost time for the 
caravan to entrain. It is a long way back to 
our camp.” 

“Mr. Riley wouldn’t go without us, I’m 
sure,” said Danny. 

“No, I suppose he wouldn’t, but I don’t 
want to keep him waiting either.” 

“I wish that we could have found just one 
little cache and had something to take back 
to Mr. Riley.” 

“I do too, Danny, but we haven’t and we’ve 
no time to look further.” Sam turned around 
resolutely and began to walk rapidly in the 
direction from which they had come. 

Danny looked longingly up the river, for he 
did want to find something exciting, but 
63 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

************+.tl.*+*-J*+t********+*+**++*++++****** 

turned and followed his brother. They walked 
along for quite some time in silence, for each 
was disappointed. When they came in sight 
of the caravan, they could see by the bustle 
around it that the men were getting ready 
to begin their long journey across the dan¬ 
gerous desert, which lay between the Arkan¬ 
sas and Cimarron rivers. 

‘‘Hurry, Danny,” called Sam and started to 
run toward the caravan. Danny started to 
run too, but tripped over an old log and twist¬ 
ed his ankle. “Oh, Sam, wait,” he cried. 

Sam turned. “What’s the matter, Danny?” 

“I stubbed my toe and fell over that log. 
I think I’ve twisted my ankle a little, but I’m 
all right.” 

Sam bent over his brother. “Let’s see it.” 
The ankle was swelling rapidly. “Here, let 
me rub it a little.” 

Danny sat up and tried not to show that 
his ankle hurt him dreadfully. Sam put his 
knee against Danny’s ankle and as he did so, 
his knee went deep into the soft ground. He 
pulled it out and to his surprise found a deep 
hole where his knee had been. 

“Look, Danny,” exclaimed Sam, partly in 
surprise and partly in an endeavor to take 
64 




“Dig, brother, dig," urged Danny 


























































WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


Danny’s attention from his aching ankle. 
“See what a queer hole my knee made!” 

“Oh, Sam, perhaps it is a cache.” 

“More like a rabbit hole,” laughed Sam, 
but he began to clear off the top of the hole. 
He dug a little of the dirt away and to his 
amazement, found that it was a large hole 
inside and that it was lined with sticks. 
“Danny!” he cried in great excitement, 
“Danny, you have found one. I do believe that 
this is a real cache. See, it is lined with 
sticks.” 

“Dig, brother, dig,” urged Danny, trying 
to rise, but falling back again with a cry of 
pain. 

Sam set to work in earnest, digging away 
the dirt. The hole within was quite large and 
shaped like a jug. It was well lined through¬ 
out with sticks. Sam put his hand down into 
the hole and felt all around in it. His hand 
struck something hard. He pulled and tugged 
and finally loosened it. He pulled it up to the 
light from its secret hiding place. It proved 
to be an old can, which resembled the very 
small water cans of the traders. 

“Open it. Open it,” shrieked Danny. 

Sam tried and tried, but was unable to pry 
66 


CACHES AND WATER KEGS 


off the lid. “Come on, Danny. Let’s take it 
to Mr. Riley and he will open it for us. Just 
to think after we had given up hope of find¬ 
ing anything that we should find this cache. 
I’m sorry about your ankle, but it was almost 
worth the twisting to find this, wasn’t it? 
Come on. I’ll help you.” 

Danny struggled bravely to his feet and 
aided by his brother, was able to limp back 
to the caravan. 

“Where have you boys been?” inquired Mr. 
Riley rather severely. “Don’t you know that 
you have kept the entire caravan waiting?” 

“I’m sorry, sir,” replied Sam. “I know that 
we are late, but please, Mr. Riley, we couldn’t 
walk any faster, because Danny has sprained 
his ankle.” 

“Sprained his ankle?” Mr. Riley glanced 
at it. “What were you boys doing away from 
camp anyway this morning?” 

“Please, sir, we were hunting a cache and 
we found one, too. That’s how we found it, 
Danny’s spraining his ankle, I mean.” 

Sam exhibited the old water can proudly 
and then told the whole story of their trip 
along the river bank. Mr. Riley smiled at 
Sam’s recital and took the can in his hands; 

67 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


after working at it for some time he suc¬ 
ceeded in opening it. He looked inside and 
saw a small black leather bag, much worn, 
which felt heavy when he drew it out of the 
can. 

“This looks as if it contains money.” He 
opened the bag and pulled out a crumpled, 
folded paper and a handful of gold coins. He 
handed the money to Sam and unfolded the 
yellowing paper. He smoothed it out and saw 
that it was covered with very fine, uncertain 
writing. 

“See, son, if you can make this out,” he said 
as he handed the paper to Sam. 

“Danny, you hold the money,” said Sam as 
he tried to decipher the faded writing. At 
last he cried, “I believe I have it.” He read 
aloud very slowly. 

I can go no further. I have lost mg 
way and my provisions are gone. 1 have 
been dogged by prairie wolves or Indians 
and I fear that I am going mad. If any¬ 
one finds this, please take the money to 
my mother, who is waiting for me in St. 
Louis. It is all that I have gained from 
my trip to Santa Fe. 

Signed, 

Thomas Hawley. 

68 


CACHES AND WATER KEGS 


“Why! He is one of the men who went out 
on the trail the spring before I started!” said 
Mr. Riley. “I wonder what happened to the 
rest of his outfit.” 

“We must get the money back to his moth¬ 
er, Mr. Riley,” said Sam immediately, “but 
how can we do it?” 

“We can send it back by the fall return 
trip,” replied Mr. Riley. “Well, boys, I’ll ex¬ 
cuse you for keeping the men waiting this 
time. But you haven’t filled up your water 
kegs. Each man must fill a five gallon keg, 
you know. It will have to last us across this 
desert, unless we strike some springs before 
we reach Willow Bar. I’ll excuse you, Danny, 
for you had better keep off that ankle. We’ve 
a hard trek for the next fifty miles you know, 
so we shall need all the water that we can 
carry.” 

“Yes, sir,” smiled Sam, as he seized an 
empty water keg. 



69 








WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“All’s set,” called Mr. Riley from his high 
seat on the wagon at the head of the caravan. 

“All’s set,” came the echo from all of the 
teamsters in the caravan train. 

“Fall in,” ordered Mr. Riley. Immediate¬ 
ly the wagons began to string out across the 
plain. 













WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“Mr. Riley, this trip is just wonderful. I 
know that we could never have made it in 
that light wagon which we brought to Inde¬ 
pendence. Even had we been able to cross 
the Arkansas River, we would probably have 
met a fate similar to Thomas Hawley,” said 
Sam as he gazed admiringly at the big man 
on the wagon seat beside him. 

“It would have been a hard trip for you 
boys to make. It has meant much to me to 
have you with me. I really don’t know what 
this caravan would have done without its fife 
and drum corps,” replied Mr. Riley as he 
patted Danny on the shoulder. 

“If it hadn’t been for you, Mr. Riley, I 
wouldn’t have my old drum with me, for 
Mother was going to have me sell it in Inde¬ 
pendence. She thought it would take up too 
much room in the wagon,” explained Danny. 

“Why, Danny, you and Sam have buoyed 
up the spirits of the men all along the route. 
Didn’t you notice how much they enjoyed the 
music the other night? It takes music, my 
lads, to keep up the morale of any body of 
men.” 

The man and the two boys drove along for 
a time in silence. Suddenly Mr. Riley turned 
71 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


to Sam. “Would you like to drive the teams 
this morning? I have some work to do inside 
the wagon.” 

Sam’s face beamed with anticipation. “Mr. 
Riley! I’d love to drive, that is, if you think 
that I can do it all right.” 

“I know that you can manage them as well 
as I. Here, take the reins and let the mules 
set their own pace.” He handed the reins to 
Sam and climbed back into the wagon. “Dan¬ 
ny,” he called, “you keep your weather eye on 
the horizon for anything that may look inter¬ 
esting.” 

Sam handed his fife to Danny. “See what 
you can do with the old fife, while I manage 
these teams. I’m the leader of over a hun¬ 
dred men, you know.” 

Danny began to play merrily on the fife. 
He played several tunes that the men liked 
particularly and soon the riders were taking 
up the melody. The entire train was whistling 
The Girl I Left Behind Me. 

All of the men were happy and spirited this 
morning, happy to have crossed the Arkan¬ 
sas in safety. Another week would see them 
in old Santa Fe, if no trouble intervened. It 
was the thirteenth of June and the day prom- 
72 



The mules were starting down the river valley 

















WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


ised to be very hot. The mules were just 
starting down the broad river valley when 
Danny stopped playing to look over the land¬ 
scape and reconnoiter. To the left he thought 
he saw something moving. 

“Sam, look over there. Do you see any¬ 
thing?” 

“Where, Danny?” 

“See, away over to the left.” 

“No, I don’t see anything. Maybe it’s a 
mirage. You know we’ll soon be getting into 
the mountains and Mr. Riley said perhaps 
we would see a mirage when the air grew 
lighter.” 

“Humph! Well, maybe.” Danny subsided, 
but he kept his gaze fixed on the horizon far 
off to the left. 

Sam was forced to give his attention to the 
mules, for it was no child’s play to drive four 
pairs of mules down this steep grade. In a 
little while Danny nudged Sam. 

“Sam, look over there. I tell you that is no 
mirage. It is something moving. Do you sup¬ 
pose—could it be Indians?” 

Something of the suppressed excitement in 
Danny’s voice was carried to Sam and he 
scanned the horizon again. To his horror, he, 
74 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


too, was sure that he saw something moving 
over the ridge. 

“Danny, you’re right, there is something 
moving there. Call Mr. Riley.” 

Danny climbed down from his high seat 
and back into the wagon. “Mr. Riley. Oh, 
Mr. Riley,” he called, “come here quickly.” 

“What is the matter, Danny?” Mr. Riley 
thrust his head out to look at the mules. 
“Have the animals become unruly?” 

“No, sir, but I saw something moving over 
the top of the hill. I want you to come and 
see it.” 

Mr. Riley hurried up to the wagon seat and 
trained his field glasses on the moving object. 
“You are right, boys. You did see something 
moving. It is a band of Indians. Stop the 
mules, we shall form here and wait.” He 
leaned over the side and called to one of the 
horsemen who was riding by his wagon. 
“Pass the word back to the men that Indians 
have been sighted off to the left. Tell them to 
form in a circle.” 

The man raced back along the caravan 
train and spread the news to each teamster. 
Immediately there was pandemonium every¬ 
where. The wagons formed on the hillside, 
75 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


but like all caravan traders, the men were not 
prepared for this emergency. 

“Sit here, boys, and manage the mules un¬ 
til I come back or call you,” said Mr. Riley as 
he swung to the ground from the wagon seat. 

The men began rushing hither and thither. 
Meanwhile the Indians were appearing in 
great hordes over the ridge. 

“My gun is wet,” cried one man. 

“Powder! My powder horn!” cried an¬ 
other. 

“Flints! Where are some flints?” 

The men were running back and forth ac¬ 
complishing nothing. A few of the back¬ 
woodsmen dropped to their knees and were 
ready to fire upon the advance guard of In¬ 
dians. 

“Wait a minute, men,” called Mr. Riley. 
“They haven’t shown any sign of hostility 
yet. Don’t be the first to start a battle.” 

A few of the traders joined Mr. Riley in 
advising the men to wait. Some of the older 
Indians seemed to be counseling prudence 
also. 

“Sam, I’m afraid. What can we do away 
up here and Mother down inside the wagon?” 

Sam was just a little frightened himself, 
76 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


but the sight of his younger brother’s quiv¬ 
ering lip made him assume a courage which 
he did not feel. “We must stay up here until 
Mr. Riley calls us. If I leave these mules they 
may break and run away. And your ankle 
still bothers you when you walk. Just sit here 
by me and pray for some way to be shown for 
us to be of help to Mr. Riley. Mother is safer 
in the wagon than anywhere else. We have 
to be brave, you know.” 

Meanwhile the. Indians had collected in 
great numbers around the caravan. Some¬ 
thing had to be done and quickly, too, so that 
the train could resume its march or move into 
a more advantageous position. Suddenly Mr. 
Riley seemed to have an inspiration. Quick 
of thought and deed, he cried out, “Fall in. 
Company, attention!” 

The men were so surprised that no one 
questioned his order. The entire company 
drew up in battle line. The women of the 
caravan seized the reins of the teams and the 
battle line was drawn up in front of the cara¬ 
van train. 

“My fife and drum corps! Sam and Danny 
Harrison, to the front!” 

As soon as Sam heard his name, he dropped 


77 




WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

the reins, seized his fife and jumped down 
from the wagon. He ran over to Mr. Riley, 
who was standing in front of the line. Danny 
followed as quickly as he could, but he had to 
drag his drum out of the wagon and limp to 
the front of the line. 

“Boys, this is the bravest thing that I have 
ever asked you to do,” began Mr. Riley. His 
eyes were kindly but his smile was very 
grave. “I want you lads to smile and play 
Yankee Doodle as you lead this battle line 
toward the Indians. Can you do it?” 

“Yes, sir,” cried the boys, the color mount¬ 
ing in their cheeks, as they set their instru¬ 
ments in position. 

“All right,” cried Mr. Riley, when he saw 
that the boys were going to be equal to their 
great task. “Forward march, men!” 

There at the head of that battle line, 
marched Sam and Danny Harrison, un¬ 
armed, merrily playing Yankee Doodle as 
they marched toward that main group of In¬ 
dians. Some of the most stout-hearted back¬ 
woodsmen were afraid, but they were put to 
shame by these two boys who were marching 
so boldly and yet so merrily to their possible 
death. 


78 



WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


A change came over the Indian hordes. 
They stopped perfectly still when they heard 
the music. They seemed to be delighted with 
the parade and entranced with the music. 
Some of them dropped their bows and grunt¬ 
ed in approval. Most of them seemed to con¬ 
sider this movement as a complimentary sa¬ 
lute, rather than a sign of hostility. 

Suddenly the old Indian chief stepped out 
in front of his tribe and came boldly forward, 
dressed in a long coat of coarse, red cloth. 

When Mr. Riley saw these overtures of 
peace, he called to his men, “Company, halt!” 
He looked down at the boys who were play¬ 
ing so valiantly. “Play on, boys,” he said. 
“You seem to have charmed him.” 

Mr. Riley walked out to meet the old chief, 
who greeted him with a grunt of approval, 
motioning him to sit down. Then he turned 
and made signs to Sam and Danny to come 
nearer. 

Half in fear and half in wonder, the boys 
obeyed and marched up to the chief. The 
Indian sat down and motioned them to sit 
one on each side of him. Then he began the 
ceremony of smoking the pipe of peace. 
While this was going on, the pioneers ex- 
79 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


changed trinkets with the Indians. Soon the 
old chief made signs to the boys to play 
again. 

“Danny boy, play your best,” whispered 
Sam, as he picked his fife up from the 
ground. 

And how they played! Every piece they 
knew and some of them twice over before 
they satisfied the chief. Finally when Sam 
was quite breathless, the old Indian exam¬ 
ined their instruments, tried to play on 
them, grunted and motioned to one of his 
braves. The Indian came forward, carrying 
two beautiful strings of wampum. These the 
chief hung around the boys’ necks, uttering 
satisfied grunts as he did so. 

After the exchange of gifts, the Indians 
moved on and camp was pitched for the 
night. Two tired, but happy boys went to 
sleep to dream of an Indian chief who played 
a fife and drum. 

When he saw that all was well with the 
caravan train, Mr. Riley went to talk to Mrs. 
Harrison of the heroism of her boys. 

“Mrs. Harrison,” he said, “I believe that 
your boys deserve all of the credit for our 
favorable encounter with that band of In- 
80 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

dians. They were brave, so brave indeed, 
that their music won the heart of the great 
Indian chief, and the rest of the tribe had 
to accede to his will. It just goes to show 
that all battles are not won with firearms, 
but may often be won by strategy. You can¬ 
not know how much I appreciate and depend 
upon my fife and drum corps.’’ 

“To think that I did not want Danny to 
bring his drum,” replied Mrs. Harrison with 
tears in her eyes. 



81 



VII 

WILLOW BAR 

For many days, Sam and Danny were 
hailed by the entire caravan as the heroes 
of the fortunate encounter with the Indians. 
Every man in the outfit had to examine the 
strings of wampum which both boys wore so 
proudly around their necks. The caravan 
advanced very carefully however, and in- 

82 








WILLOW BAR 


creased its night watches twofold, fearing 
that a second meeting with the savages 
might be disastrous. For several nights, the 
guards thought that they saw skulking 
forms near the camp. 

Nor were the guards the only ones who 
thought they saw Indians. Every trader re¬ 
alized that this was a dangerous country, for 
it was here that two of the caravans had 
been raided the preceding year. The men 
were anxious not only about their own 
scalps, but they were determined to keep 
their animals from being stolen by some 
thieving Indians. 

This arid desert was the favorite haunt 
of the dreaded Comanches and the fierce 
Kiowas. The very word “Comanche” was 
enough to strike terror in the hearts of the 
more timid travelers. 

The lieutenants kept well ahead of the car¬ 
avan train to look for traces of the dreaded 
marauders. Now more than at any time 
since the successful encounter with the In¬ 
dians, the caravan train needed its fife and 
drum corps. Nerves were on edge and men 
were weary. When their courage seemed al¬ 
most gone, Sam and Danny would break 
83 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


forth in a rollicking tune with their instru¬ 
ments. Men whose spirits were downcast 
would find themselves whistling the tune of 
Sam’s merry fife. 

It was a beautiful day, but very hot in the 
Cimarron Valley. The traders had not gone 
far when those in the front line saw Timm 
and Black, who were riding a little in ad¬ 
vance, halt and train their glasses on some¬ 
thing ahead. Terror clutched at the hearts 
in the front ranks, but Mr. Riley plodded on 
toward the men. After a little he reached 
the lieutenants. 

“What is it, Timm?” 

“Can’t make it out, Riley. There is some¬ 
thing alive down there, but I can’t tell what 
it is,” replied Timm as he handed the glasses 
to Mr. Riley. 

Mr. Riley gazed long and earnestly in the 
distance at the moving objects. Finally he 
chuckled, then laughed outright. “Well, boys, 
it isn’t an Indian this time. That is a prairie 
dog town, down there. I’ve seen them be¬ 
fore in these parts. We can advance in 
safety, for they will disappear before we 
reach them.” 

The lieutenants looked relieved and the 
84 




WILLOW BAR 

wagons continued to advance slowly and 
carefully. Mr. Riley turned to the boys with 
a smile. 

“Boys, I want you to watch that prairie 
dog town. Can you see the dogs?” 

“Yes, sir. I can see something moving,” 
replied Sam. 

“In a few minutes you will be able to see 
them plainly for they are not aware of us. 
When they do get our scent they will dis¬ 
appear in a hurry. If you will notice, the 
burrows are built in a circle surrounding the 
burrow of the leader or head dog, which sits 
in the center and governs the other dogs by 
his ferocious barking. Do you hear him?” 

The boys listened intently. “Yes, I can 
hear him,” said Danny. 

“I can see the other dogs now,” cried Sam 
in excitement. 

The boys watched the dogs, saw them sud¬ 
denly get the scent of the caravan train and 
dive into their holes. When the traders 
reached the dog town, there was not a dog 
to be seen, but they could feel that they were 
being watched on every hand by keen anx¬ 
ious eyes. After the men had passed this 
strange town safely their spirits seemed to 
85 



WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


soar in relief. They laughed, sang, and told 
jokes for the rest of the day. 

Just after sundown, they reached Willow 
Bar, one of the few springs in the Cimarron 
Desert. Here the men were refreshed by the 
clear, fresh spring water which had its 
source in the Rocky Mountains. It seemed 
as if each man could not drink his fill, for 
they had had no fresh water since leaving 
the Arkansas River. 

After supper the men, one and all, called 
upon Sam and Danny for a concert. The 
boys got out their instruments and began to 
play, soon the entire crowd of traders was 
singing. 

Suddenly as the boys were playing their 
merriest, two Indian braves, dressed in all 
their feathers and hideous war paint, 
stepped into the circle in front of Sam, who 
stopped playing his fife and looked at them 
hopelessly. The men sat transfixed with the 
suddenness of their appearing. How had 
they evaded the guards? Were more of them 
hiding near the camp? The Indians made 
signs to Sam that they wanted his fife. 

Very fearfully and very reluctantly, Sam 
handed his precious fife to one of them. The 

86 



The Indian jerked the wampum from the boy’s neck 



























WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


Indian looked at it a moment and then tried 
to play it, but he blew only a shrill deafening 
blast upon it. He tried it again but with no 
better success. He grunted in disgust and 
handed the fife to the other Indian who also 
tried to play it, but drew forth the shrill 
whistle again. He handed it back to Sam, 
making signs for him to show them the 
knack of playing it. 

Sam was so frightened that he could 
scarcely breathe, but he mustered up his 
courage and managed to play a little lilting 
tune. The first Indian seized the fife again 
and made a second attempt to play it, but in 
vain. He had not mastered the trick of it. 
He threw the fife at Sam contemptuously 
and with a blood curdling cry leaped into the 
darkness. The other Indian leaned over to¬ 
ward Danny, stretched forth his painted arm 
and quickly jerked the precious string of 
wampum from the boy’s neck. Then with an 
answering cry he leaped after his compan¬ 
ion. 

“My wampum string! My wampum!” 
shrieked Danny as soon as he realized what 
had happened. 

At the same time, two guards from the 
88 


WILLOW BAR 


other side of the circle rushed up to Mr. 
Riley crying, 

“Help! Indians are stealing our cattle!” 

Immediately the caravan was in a panic. 
Camp had been pitched for the night and the 
animals had been carefully secured in the 
corral, but in some manner, the Indians had 
eluded the guards, crept past the wagon cor¬ 
ral and were stealing the cattle. The men 
rushed madly about hunting their guns. 
When the first group reached the animals, 
there was not an Indian to be seen. No count 
of the cattle could be taken in the darkness. 

As soon as Mr. Riley and the lieutenants 
could organize the men for action, they 
threw a line of men for defense around the 
entire wagon train. Each man peered anx¬ 
iously out into the shadows, ready to fire up¬ 
on the first moving form which he saw. And 
so they spent the long terrible night, waiting 
fearfully for their unseen enemies. It is 
needless to say that not an eye was closed 
through that exhausting vigil. 

All through the night Sam and Danny 
stayed close by Mr. Riley’s side. They were 
very much frightened but not more so than 
many of the men. 


89 



WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“Sam, would you have given your fife to 
that Indian if he had wanted to keep it?” 
whispered Danny as they sat by Mr. Riley. 

“Of course, if it would have saved the car¬ 
avan,” replied Sam. “If he could have played 
it, I believe that he would have kept it.” 

“I thought that he was going to take my 
drum, but I didn’t dream that he would 
snatch my wampum string,” said Danny 
with a trace of a sob in his voice. 

“They have drums, but I don’t believe they 
had ever seen a fife before. Never mind 
about the wampum, Danny. You may share 
my string and wear it whenever you like. 
Perhaps that saved some of our scalps. Who 
knows?” 

“Thank you, Sam. Say, do you suppose 
they could have appeared before us so that 
the other Indians could steal the animals 
while the men were interested in them?” 

“I’m sure I don’t know, brother. Look, 
Danny! The dawn is breaking over there in 
the East.” 

Indeed the dawn had come and the morn¬ 
ing light soon filled the camp. The men 
gazed anxiously at the horizon but there was 
no trace of an Indian anywhere. Mr. Riley 
90 


WILLOW BAR 


sent several men to check up the missing an¬ 
imals. He dispatched others to search for 
Indians or for the lost cattle. 

They soon returned however, without any 
sign of either Indians or animals. When the 
men were finished with the counting of the 
animals in the corral, it was discovered that 
the Indians had stolen five cows and two 
horses. 

The men then went wearily to work to pre¬ 
pare for another hard day’s journey. 



91 





VIII 

CIBOLERO 

As the caravan train dragged wearily 
over the unending desert, it was beginning 
to show signs of wear. The men were in low 
spirits, partly because of their vigil at Wil¬ 
low Bar, their increased anxiety for their 
92 









CIBOLERO 


own safety, and their fear of an unseen en¬ 
emy; partly because of the monotony and 
dryness of the country through which they 
were traveling; and particularly because of 
the scarcity of springs in the desert and 
fresh meat in their diet. They needed that 
strength which water and fresh meat alone 
can impart to the body, but they had had no 
meat since their buffalo chase so long ago. 
The animals too, showed signs of the strain 
of their journey. Their food was light also, 
since they had had no grazing ground for 
many miles and they were living on half ra¬ 
tions of water. The wagons had warped 
wheels, loose spokes and worn tires, due to 
the roughness of the journey as well as the 
dryness of the atmosphere. 

The men spent one whole day binding 
strips of buffalo hide about the warped 
wheels and driving wedges of thin hoop to 
hold the wheels together. 

Several days after the encampment at 
Willow Bar, Sam and Danny were sitting on 
the wagon seat, taking turns driving the 
mules for Mr. Riley. Danny, who had been 
scanning the horizon earnestly, turned to his 
brother. 


93 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“Look, Sam, look out there. Isn’t that a 
lake ahead of us?” 

Sam looked in the direction toward which 
Danny pointed. “It does look like a lake, 
Danny.” 

“I’m so thirsty, Sam. Can’t we hurry just 
a little?” Danny wet his parched lips in an¬ 
ticipation, for he had not had a drink of wa¬ 
ter since early morning. 

Sam gazed earnestly at the horizon. “It 
looks like a lake, Danny, but it can’t be, for 
I don’t believe there are any lakes in this 
desert.” 

“But it is,” cried Danny. “Oh, do hurry, 
Sam.” 

Indeed to the thirsty boys, there did seem 
to be a beautiful lake just ahead of them, 
but even as they gazed, it passed from view. 

“No use to hope for water, Danny. That’s 
only a mirage. Don’t you remember that 
Mr. Riley said travelers often thought they 
saw water in the desert, especially when 
they were very thirsty? Forget about it. 
You’re not thirsty.” 

“But I am, Sam.” Danny lapsed into si¬ 
lence but continued to look westward hope¬ 
fully. After a little while he did see some- 
94 



“/ see a rider out there ” 











WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


thing of interest on the horizon. “Look, 
Sam!” he cried. “I see a rider out there.” 

Sam sniffed. “Probably another mirage.” 
Even as he looked, there was indeed a horse¬ 
man riding toward them. 

“Mr. Riley! Mr. Riley! Quick, Danny, tell 
Mr. Riley that a horseman is coming toward 
us. I can’t tell whether he is an Indian or 
not.” 

“All right.” Danny jumped down into the 
wagon to get Mr. Riley. 

Sam kept his gaze fixed on the approach¬ 
ing figure. It moved very slowly. Surely he 
could not be a hostile Indian or he would be 
coming at a faster pace. 

“What is it, Sam, my boy?” asked Mr. 
Riley as he emerged from the wagon. 

“A horseman, sir. Do you see him?” 

The tall man glanced in the direction in 
which Sam was pointing. He looked long at 
the horseman while Sam and Danny waited 
impatiently. Finally he turned and said, 
“Boys, have no fear. This is luck indeed. He 
is not an Indian. He is a Mexican cibolero 

“A cibolero? What’s that?” cried both 
boys in the same breath. 

“That’s the Spanish word for ‘buffalo 
96 


CIBOLERO 


hunter.’ Ciboleros are usually Mexican, I 
think. They wander over the plains hunting 
buffaloes. When they have killed several, 
they go back to their homes and prepare the 
meat. Then they go out to roam the desert 
with as much meat and hides as they can 
carry, hoping to meet traders to whom they 
can sell some meat.” 

Mr. Riley glanced at the cibolero again. 
He was very near to them now. “Just look 
at him, boys. See how he is decked out!” 

The boys saw a strange figure indeed. He 
wore a short jacket and trousers of goat¬ 
skin. Over his shoulder he bore a bow and 
quiver. Suspended beside him, in a gaily tas- 
seled case, was a long lance whose top waved 
majestically above his head. He wore a broad 
flat hat, with a bright red ribbon hanging 
from it. His stirrup hooks swept the ground 
and his enormous saddle covered all of his 
pony. On either side and suspended from 
the saddle hung a huge sack. 

“He looks more like a picture in a story 
book than a real man out here in the desert,” 
said Sam. 

“I do hope that he has some fresh meat. 
Sometimes they have only dried buffalo meat 
97 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


to offer. Boys, we shall find out about the 
Santa Fe market from him,” promised Mr. 
Riley. 

As soon as the cibolero came near to the 
caravan, Mr. Riley took horse and rode out 
to meet him. They exchanged greetings and 
rode back to the main body of the caravan 
together. The men crowded around them 
eager to hear the news of Santa Fe and her 
Customs House. 

“What does he say?” cried several of the 
men who were on the outskirts of the crowd. 

“Pass the word back,” called another. 

“He says,” explained one of the men, 
“that the governor of Santa Fe is charging 
exorbitant fees for wagon privileges. He is 
asking as much as five hundred dollars for a 
single wagon display.” 

“Five hundred dollars!” exclaimed Sam in 
amazement. “My stars, Danny, isn’t that a 
great amount to pay to have one wagon load 
of goods exhibited?” 

“It surely is. What will our men do?” 

“I haven’t any idea, but I am certain that 
the men won’t turn back now. Mr. Riley 
will think up some plan. You can depend on 
that.” 


98 


CIBOLERO 

“Look, Sam. I do believe that the cibolero 
is leaving now.” 

Indeed the buffalo hunter, having dis¬ 
posed of all of his meat was taking leave of 
the caravan. He was loud in his thanks to 
the traders and in his good wishes for a for¬ 
tunate market in Santa Fe. 

As soon as he was out of sight, Mr. Riley- 
called for a general conference of the cara¬ 
van and delegated a few men to prepare the 
buffalo feast. The men assembled and seated 
themselves quietly on the ground, for every 
man was deeply concerned over the heavy 
customs charge, which the cibolero said the 
Spanish governor was extorting from the 
traders at Santa Fe. 

“Men,” began Mr. Riley, “as soon as we 
arrive at the Rabbit Ear Mounds, I believe 
that we had better dispatch our runners. 
What do some of the rest of you think about 
it?” 

“Yes, yes, that is the thing to do,” cried 
the traders who had made the trip before. 

“What do the runners do?” asked one man 
who was making his first trip to Santa Fe. 

“The runners,” replied Mr. Riley, “are the 
fleetest men in the caravan. They start to 
99 



WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

run, usually when the train is about two 
hundred miles from Santa Fe. Each outfit 
picks its best runner to go ahead of the car¬ 
avan on foot, starting at night and stopping 
only for such rest as is absolutely necessary. 
Then when he arrives at Santa Fe, each man 
does some scouting to determine where the 
best market for his particular goods will be. 

“Next he tries to win over the customs 
officials with a stipulated fee. I imagine that 
if our runners are careful we shall be able 
to get our duty fees down to no more than 
fifty dollars a wagon and possibly less than 
that.” 

“Hurrah! Hurrah! ” shouted several of the 
men. 

“If you plan to send runners, you had bet¬ 
ter get together now and choose one for 
each of your outfits. As soon as we reach the 
Rabbit Ear Mounds they can start. As soon 
as you have selected the scouts, we shall en¬ 
joy the buffalo meat which I believe the men 
have ready for us.” 

“Mr. Riley,” asked Sam eagerly, “may I 
go as a runner for you?” 

“You could, Sam, my boy,” said Mr. Riley 
as he looked at Sam’s anxious face, “you 
100 


CIBOLERO 


could do it, but I am afraid a two-hundred- 
mile journey is pretty long for you yet. After 
you have been in this country a year or two 
you can do it easily. Thank you, son, for 
volunteering so readily. There are not many 
hearts in this company that are as stout as 
yours and Danny’s. William Stanley will 
take care of the runner’s job for our outfit.” 

A little after noon, when the runners had 
been selected and the men refreshed by the 
buffalo meat, Mr. Riley gave orders for the 
caravan to entrain, for all were anxious to 
come within sight of Rabbit Ear Mounds. 

* * 

Rabbit Ear Mounds were named for their 
similarity in shape to a rabbit’s ear. They 
are on the boundary line between Oklahoma 
and New Mexico. 



101 








IX 

SANTA FE 

After the runners had departed for Santa 
Fe, the caravan train seemed to take a new 
lease on life, for there was an undercurrent 
of excitement and anticipation running” the 
entire length of the train. 

When the traders sighted the first adobe 
ranch at the foot of a cliff near Turkey 
102 



















SANTA FE 


**+•* 


River, every man set up a deafening shout 
of joy, for all realized that they were ap¬ 
proaching civilization again and that their 
long dangerous journey was almost over. 
Still farther on, they reached the first settle¬ 
ment, San Miguel del Vado, on the banks of 
the Pecos River. It was only a collection of 
a very few adobe huts, but to the weary, 
travel-worn traders, it was a veritable para¬ 
dise. 

The men spent most of their time in spec¬ 
ulating about the runners and their success 
at Santa Fe. Sam and Danny continued to 
play their fife and drum each evening and 
the men continued to sing with them. 

“Boys, your fife and drum have whiled 
away many dreary hours for this caravan 
train. It has been a godsend indeed, this fife 
and drum corps of mine. We have been on 
the road for fifty days and there has been 
scarcely a night that you two have not enter¬ 
tained everyone with your music. I wonder 
how I made my other trips without you,” 
said Mr. Riley the night before they expect¬ 
ed to reach Santa Fe. 

“I’m glad, sir,” replied Sam. “Well Dan¬ 
ny and I know that we could not have made 
103 



WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


the trip without your help. We like to play 
and I think the fife and drum have cheered 
us up a bit too. I thought that I was going 
to lose my fife that night at Willow Bar, 
when they took Danny’s wampum string.” 

“And I was sure of it, Mr. Riley,” put in 
Danny. “Since that night, whenever I start 
thinking of a possible Indian attack, I just 
beat this old drum all the harder and it helps 
me keep my courage at top notch.” 

“Splendid!” laughed Mr. Riley. “I am sor¬ 
ry about the loss of your wampum string, 
Danny, but perhaps we shall find something 
else in Santa Fe to take its place. After I 
dispose of my merchandise, we shall find 
some place to live, for I can never get along 
again without the Harrison boys. I intend 
to stay out in this country. I don’t expect to 
return to Independence.” 

“That will be fine, Mr. Riley. Danny and 
I were wondering what we would do with¬ 
out you when you went back with the fall 
caravan. We expected to stay out here be¬ 
cause of Mother. She is so well and strong 
now that I am sure this is the place for her 
to live.” 

“You’re right, Sam. This is the place for 
104 


++++++++4 , ++++++++++++4 , 4 , ++4 . ++< , +++++++4 , ++++4 , ++++++ 

your mother. I believe she will be well and 
happy here. If we reach Santa Fe tomor¬ 
row, you boys must find a comfortable place 
for her. When you have her settled, you may 
help me to dispose of my goods.” 

“We’d like to help you. Where shall we 
take Mother?” 

“There is a very good Spanish inn at the 
north side of the plaza, where she will be 
quite comfortable. Get her settled there and 
then search out my wagon and come to me.” 

“Very well, sir. We will find you at the 
square.” 

The next morning the caravan entrained 
for the last time. The men were whistling 
and singing as they rubbed up their harness 
and oiled the wagons. Each man tied a new 
cracker to his whip lash and made his teams 
look as respectable as possible. Everyone put 
on the best clothes which he had at hand and 
discarded his travel-worn ones in anticipa¬ 
tion of the new outfit which he intended to 
buy with some of his profits. 

About noon time, an old seasoned trader 
who was riding well toward the front of the 
caravan, cried out, “Santy Fee! There she 
is!” 


105 



WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

There indeed lay the little city of Santa Fe, 
the goal of the caravan’s seven weeks and 
more of travel. It consisted of a small, insig¬ 
nificant group of little houses, which resem¬ 
bled nothing else so much as brick kilns. A 
shout went up from every throat. The whips 
cracked merrily and the caravan bounded 
forward. Sooner than it takes to tell it, the 
joyful caravan found itself in old Santa Fe 
at last. The little, crooked, narrow streets 
were lined with people who were eager to 
welcome the caravan. 

“Bien venido! Los Americanos! Los Car- 
ros! La caravana ha llegado!” The Span¬ 
iards were shouting at the top of their lungs. 

“What are they saying, Mr. Riley?” asked 
Sam. 

“They are shouting a welcome to us. They 
are saying that the caravan has arrived,” ex¬ 
plained Mr. Riley, his face wreathed with 
smiles. 

The caravan proceeded down the narrow 
streets to the plaza or square where the Cus¬ 
toms House was located and which served as 
the general market place. The square was 
also crowded with people. There were trad¬ 
ers, Indians, prospectors, Mexicans, girls 
106 



The fandango was a very colorful affair 












































































































































































































































































WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


dressed in their fiesta (festival) garments, 
Spanish soldiers in their colorful uniforms, 
and finally the most welcome sight of all to 
the caravan, the runners who had left them 
at Rabbit Ear Mounds. 

Each runner hurried up to his outfit to give 
the news of his success in the market place 
and customs office. Such a hubbub as ensued! 
Everyone seemed to be talking at once; the 
Spaniards were babbling in Spanish concern¬ 
ing the merchandise; the traders in English 
concerning the duty imposed on the wagons. 

Finally an impressive looking committee 
from the governor came out to wait upon the 
caravan traders and order was brought out 
of the chaos. Each wagon was assigned to its 
place for display. The men began to arrange 
their wares for the trading. The brisk bar¬ 
gaining began. 

Sam and Danny took their mother and 
such belongings as she needed to the Spanish 
inn on the opposite side of the plaza. Mrs. 
Harrison was glad to rest upon a real bed 
again and to have a roof over her head, but 
the two boys were eager to reach Mr. Riley’s 
wagon. 

By nightfall, the men had disposed of most 
108 


SANTA FE 


of their cargo and were ready to attend the 
grand fandango or fiesta which was being 
given at the inn, in honor of the arrival of 
the caravan from the East. The fandango 
was a very colorful affair. All of the Spanish 
girls in and about Santa Fe were dressed in 
their gaily colored fiesta clothes, while the 
Spanish men were garbed in brilliant cos¬ 
tumes and their officers were in full dress 
uniform. Everyone came to watch the danc¬ 
ers and to join in the merrymaking. Even 
Mrs. Harrison came down from her room to 
watch the festivities. 

“I can hardly believe that I’m alive,” whis¬ 
pered Danny to Sam as he watched the bril¬ 
liant spectacle. 

“Pinch me, Danny,” said Sam, “so that I’ll 
know that I’m awake, for Pawnee Rock and 
Willow Bar seem just like bad dreams, com¬ 
pared to the joy and comfort here.” 

* * 

Santa Fe is today one of the most pictur¬ 
esque towns in the United States. It is a city 
of 11,176 people. It has all the conveniences 
of the modern city and yet has something 
reminiscent of old Spain and a pioneer day. 

109 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


The streets are still narrow and crooked and 
still crowded with many types of people, the 
Indian, the tourist, the artist, the Mexican, 
and the cowboy. A modern church rubs el¬ 
bows with an ancient one. What is sometimes 
called the oldest house in America is still 
standing in Santa Fe. There are very won¬ 
derful Indian collections to be seen here of 
both modern and ancient Indian origin. 



110 






FROM A CEDAR THICKET 

About two weeks after the arrival of the 
caravan at Santa Fe, Mr. Riley appeared one 
evening at the Spanish inn, where Sam, Dan¬ 
ny and their mother were living. 

“Boys,” called Mr. Riley, “would you like 
to go with me on a moonshining expedition 
this evening?” 


Ill 




WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“Moonshining, Mr. Riley? What’s that?” 

Mr. Riley laughed. “A cattle roping ex¬ 
pedition, Sam.” 

“Yes, we’ll go,” put in Danny. “How soon 
do we start?” 

“In a few minutes, my boy. Tell your moth¬ 
er that you are going with me and I’ll ex¬ 
plain it as we ride to Barber’s ranch.” 

Danny rushed into the inn to tell his moth¬ 
er that they were going with Mr. Riley, and 
was back again in a jiffy. 

Mr. Riley had found some horses for the 
boys to ride and they were on their way to 
Barber’s ranch in a short time to join the rest 
of the men who were going on the expedition. 

“Sam, this moonshining trip is the most im¬ 
portant affair out here with the exception of 
the fall roundup. It is being held later this 
year than usual, because of the lateness of 
the season.” 

“Why do they call it moonshining, sir?” 
asked Danny eagerly. 

“The men wait until it is full moonlight so 
that they can see to rope the cattle more eas¬ 
ily. Roping outlaw cattle is a very different 
proposition from roping ranch cattle.” 

“Mr. Riley,” put in Danny again, “what do 
112 


FROM A CEDAR THICKET 


you mean by wild cattle? Where do they come 
from? They didn’t have any of these trips 
last year, did they?” 

“One question at a time, my boy,” laughed 
Mr. Riley. “Yes, they have a trip every year. 
It is always held in the spring or early sum¬ 
mer. The wild cattle originally came from 
Mexico. Every year a few cattle would stray 
away from the ranches and wander into the 
hills. These multiplied and constitute the 
herds we now call wild. 

“In the springtime they move northward 
in search of fresh grazing ground. When the 
ranchmen know that the wild cattle are mov¬ 
ing toward Big Spring, they get ready for 
them and each man tries to rope as many as 
possible, for his ranch.” 

“I do wish that we could rope one animal, 
Mr. Riley. Then we would have a beginning 
for the ranch which Mother is trying to buy.” 

“Perhaps you can, Sam. Who knows? You 
can try at least.” 

By this time they had arrived at Barber’s 
Ranch, where a large number of horsemen 
was awaiting them. When all the crowd had 
assembled the leader gave the signal for de¬ 
parture. “Catch-up,” came the cry. What a 
113 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 

mad rush ensued! Each horseman dashed 
forward as if he would be the first to encircle 
Big Spring. Sam and Danny galloped along 
the trail with Mr. Riley, each hoping to rope 
at least one of the wild cattle. 

They rode through mesquite and sage 
brush for several miles. Soon they began to 
notice a few little cedar trees and they knew 
they were approaching Big Spring. When 
the trees became cedar thickets, the men 
slackened their pace and began to divide into 
little groups. 

Big Spring, a small lake formed by several 
springs in the upper hills, was surrounded by 
cedar thickets. It was a very important place 
for the wild cattle, since the water was clear 
and cold and the trees offered them a hiding 
place. Soon the little groups of men melted 
away among the cedars until Sam and Danny 
could scarcely believe that they contained a 
single horseman. All was quiet and serene. 

“Look, Sam,” cried Danny. “They’ve been 
here already. See all of those tracks over 
there.” 

“Sh! Of course, Danny. Now all we have 
to do is keep still and wait for them to come 
back.” 


114 


FROM A CEDAR THICKET 


After what seemed an eternity to the boys 
there was a rustle among the thickets off to 
the left. 

“Sam, do you hear that?” 

“Yes, do you have your rope ready?” 

“Yes sir-ree, I have.” 

Soon they could see the cattle slowly pok¬ 
ing through the thickets down to the clear 
cold water. Still the men waited. 

“Why can’t we do something?” whispered 
Danny. 

“I don’t know, but we must wait until the 
men begin. I don’t believe that we can ever 
rope one of those big steers.” 

“Now, Sam, we are going to try to, any¬ 
way. We ought to be able to do it together.” 

By this time the cattle were swarming 
down to the water hole. Suddenly the thick¬ 
ets came alive with men. They seemed to be 
everywhere at once with their swinging 
lariats. 

“Now, Danny, come on. Let’s try it.” 

The boys began to circle down toward the 
spring. The cattle were crowding close and 
it looked as if the boys would be crushed by 
so many cattle rather than be able to rope 
any one of them. 


115 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“Come over this way, Sam. We don’t want 
to get caught in that bunch. Let’s work our 
way out.” 

Sam didn’t like to get so far away from 
Mr. Riley but he did not want to let Danny 
go on alone, so there was nothing else to do 
but follow him. 

Just as Danny reached a small clearing, he 
saw a young calf emerging from a neighbor¬ 
ing thicket. Oh, if he could only rope that 
calf! It would be a perfect day for him. The 
calf had strayed away from her mother and 
seemed oblivious to everything except the 
clear pool of water before her. 

Danny crept on, rope in hand. When he 
thought that he had come near enough, he 
raised his rope, threw it deftly and was re¬ 
warded by the answering tug of the fright¬ 
ened calf. Hurrah! He had roped her! But 
oh, what a strong pull she had! He hung on 
desperately, hoping that Sam would soon ar¬ 
rive. 

When Sam came through the clearing, he 
could scarcely believe his eyes, for there was 
his brother Danny struggling to hold his 
rope, while a terrified calf tugged at the oth¬ 
er end of it. 


116 



There was Danny struggling to hold the rope 







































































WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


“I’m coming, Danny. Hold her,” shrieked 
Sam as he jumped across the clearing. “Hold 
her tight and I’ll tie her down for you.” 

In a few minutes Sam had tied the calf se¬ 
curely so that Danny could relax and get his 
breath. 

“Well, you roped one, Danny,” said Sam 
admiringly as he thwacked his brother on 
the back. “I’ll bet no other eleven-year-old 
boy could do that.” 

“Aw, it was nothing really. It was easy for 
I just happened to come along at the right 
time.” 

“Won’t Mr. Riley be proud of you? It’s a 
dandy calf too. Humph! I guess that this 
calf is better than a wampum string, isn’t it, 
Danny?” 

Danny’s eyes were shining. “Much better, 
Sam. I don’t care about the old wampum 
string, really I don’t.” 

After the men had roped as many of the 
outlaw cattle as possible and the rest of the 
beasts had dashed into the hills, Mr. Riley 
found the boys in the clearing. 

“Where have you boys been? What’s this? 
You’ve roped a calf? Why, Sam, you’re a 
regular cowboy.” 


118 


FROM A CEDAR THICKET 



“It wasn’t I, Mr. Riley. It was Danny. He 
did it all alone. When I came through that 
thicket, he had roped it and was trying to 
tie it.” 

“But Sam tied her for me or I couldn’t have 
kept it,” put in Danny hastily. 

“Well, well, boys! You are real ropers, 
there is no doubt of it. Danny, that will be 
the beginning of a herd for your mother’s 
ranch.” 

Danny beamed. “Why, Mr. Riley, I roped 
it for you.” 

“For me, nothing. That calf belongs to 
Danny Harrison, and some day you will have 
a great herd of cattle.” 




119 




/ 



XI 

SAM SLIPS THROUGH 

Mrs. Harrison purchased a small ranch 
near Glorieta Pass and in a few weeks after 
the moonshining expedition, she and the boys 
were established in their new home. They 
bought a few cattle and with Danny’s outlaw 
calf, which he was rapidly taming, they be¬ 
gan a business which was to prove quite 
profitable. 


120 











SAM SLIPS THROUGH 


After Mr. Riley disposed of his merchan¬ 
dise and sold most of his equipment, he began 
to look about for a place to locate near the 
Harrisons. The government was just open¬ 
ing a post office, with an express and stage 
change at Glorieta Pass and Mr. Riley was 
fortunate enough to get this trading post po¬ 
sition. The location of the post was a beau¬ 
tiful wooded spot about twenty miles east of 
Santa Fe and the only available pass through 
the mountains for a distance of two hundred 
and fifty miles north and south. Since the 
boys were located so near to the trading post, 
Mr. Riley employed them to help him so that 
he would not have to employ an assistant. 

One morning Mr. Riley left Sam in charge 
of the post while he and Danny went over to 
old Pigeon Ranch to get Mr. Smythe to sign 
some papers which were to be sent east on 
that morning’s stage coach. 

Sam whistled merrily as he sorted the out¬ 
going mail for the morning stage. He was 
feeling particularly gay this morning for it 
was the first time that Mr. Riley had ever left 
him in charge of the post. He was glad that 
this was the morning for the stage coach to 
arrive, for he did enjoy the excitement of the 
121 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


horses dashing up to the post and the driver 
deftly coiling his whip for its stock. 

It would soon be time for Danny and Mr. 
Riley to be returning from old Pigeon Ranch, 
for it was just an hour until the coach was 
due at Glorieta Pass. Sam looked around the 
little room to see if all the mail and express 
was ready so that Mr. Riley could load it 
quickly. There was the mail sack, those boxes 
by the door and the sack of silver bullion. It 
was government money to be sent to St. Louis 
in payment for supplies and guns which had 
come to Santa Fe by the last caravan from 
the East. 

Suddenly he heard the sound of voices and 
the slow shuffling of feet. The shuffling 
stopped on the outside of the building, just 
on the other side of the wall. Two men were 
talking and he heard one of them say, 

“If we are goin’ to grab that money, we 
had better do it now. The old man will be back 
shortly and the coach will soon be due.” 

“How do you know it’s safe? Maybe there 
is someone there besides that boy.” 

“I tell you that I have it all figured out; 
there’s no one else here. Now we’ll burst in 
and scare that boy. You tie him up so that he 
122 


SAM SLIPS THROUGH 


can’t call and I’ll grab the sack of silver and 
get around to the horse which I have ready 
behind the corral.” 

Sam was so excited that he could scarcely 
keep still. He glanced wildly about the room. 
What could he do? 

“Well we can risk it, if we are to divide 
equally in this bargain,” muttered one of the 
men. 

“Let’s look up the road again to see that 
there is no one in sight.” 

Sam could hear their footsteps as they 
walked away from the building. He must 
think of some way to save the bullion and the 
mail! Looking about for a way of escape he 
noticed a hole in the wall which was used 
occasionally to pass bullion and express 
through to the outside. It was small, but it 
was his only hope. He lifted the flap which 
covered the hole and looked out; nothing was 
to be seen save the old corral with its several 
ponies sleeping at their stalls. 

Seizing the two sacks he pushed them 
through the hole and let them drop very cau¬ 
tiously to the ground. Then he began to wrig¬ 
gle through himself, twisting and turning in 
an effort to get his hips through the narrow 
123 


WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


opening. Suddenly he thought he heard the 
shuffling of feet again. Panic-stricken, he 
gave a lurch which freed him and sent him 
rolling over the ground. He had fallen upon 
his arm hurting it terribly, but this was no 
time to pay attention to pain. He snatched 
up the two bags and began to roll toward the 
corral; he dared not stand upright as he 
might be seen. 

Finally he reached it and knew he was 
safely out of sight of the men. He climbed 
up onto the horse which the stranger had left 
there and set off down the ravine at a rapid 
rate, for he had no time to lose if he was to 
make the highway in time to catch the stage. 
He urged the horse to greater speed, and at 
last he could see the highway in front of him. 
As he reached it he saw the stage coach in the 
distance. He had made it! He pulled up his 
horse in front of the coach, blocking the way. 

The driver pulled up short, just missing 
Sam by a few feet. 

“Hey there, boy, what do you mean by stop¬ 
ping the government stage? A few tricks 
like that and you’ll get killed,” cried the irate 
stage driver. 

“Oh, sir,” gasped Sam, “I had to stop you. 

124 



The driver pulled up short 








































































































WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


I have the mail sack and the silver bullion for 
the stage. I’m from Glorieta Pass.” 

“The mail and the silver bullion from Glo¬ 
rieta Pass? What under the canopy are you 
doing with it here? Couldn’t you wait until 
we got there? Here, hand it up here.” 

“I can’t, sir. You’ll have to unwind it from 
the horn. I can’t seem to use this arm, sir.” 

The driver unwound the sacks, stowed 
them into the government pouch on the coach 
and then turned to the boy. 

“Why, look here, lad, let’s see the arm. I do 
believe you’ve broken it.” The driver exam¬ 
ined his arm, muttering to himself all the 
while. “Let this man who has been riding 
with me ride the horse and you climb up on 
the driver’s seat with me and tell me how you 
happened to bring the mail down here to me.” 

Sam was glad to obey his orders for he was 
suddenly very weak and exhausted. As they 
rode along, he explained the whole situation 
to the driver, even to his falling from the ex¬ 
press hole and hurting his arm. 

“Well, well, just wait until we tell Henry 
Riley. He doesn’t know that the U. S. Gov¬ 
ernment has found a hero right at its own 
post. Boy, you’ll make an A1 stage coach 
126 


SAM SLIPS THROUGH 

driver when you are a man. Did you say that 
the men came into the post?” 

“I don’t know, sir, but I thought I heard 
them. I’m not just sure. I don’t know what 
Mr. Riley will say.” 

“Here we are,” cried the driver as he 
cracked his whip when they rounded the bend 
in the road. 

There was the little adobe trading post, in 
front of which stood Mr. Riley peering up at 
the coach. When the coach stopped, Danny 
looked up at the high seat and saw Sam. 

“Mr. Riley! Mr. Riley!” called Danny. 
“Here’s Sam, right here, safe on the stage 
coach seat.” 

“Heaven be praised,” cried Mr. Riley. “We 
thought that you were kidnapped, my boy. 
We’ve had a terrible robbery. The silver bul¬ 
lion and the mail sack are gone. When we re¬ 
turned from the ranch we found the post 
broken into and everything in confusion. We 
supposed that you had been carried off too, 
Sam. How did you get to the coach?” 

“How did he?” ejaculated the driver. 
“Why, he saved your mail sack and the silver. 
He slipped through the express hole with the 
sacks and rode to meet me and delivered ’em 


127 



WITH FIFE AND DRUM 


to me with his arm broken in the bargain. 
That’s what this boy did!” 

“What’s this? Saved the bullion?” ex¬ 
claimed Mr. Riley stupidly. 

Then Sam had to tell the whole story again, 
with many expletives and additions from the 
driver, while Danny laughed and cried for 
joy all the while because Sam was safe and 
unharmed. 

“Well, boys,” said Mr. Riley when Sam had 
finished his story, “I am more proud than 
ever of my fife and drum corps. You have 
proved not only that you were helpers on the 
trail, but you are real western cattle ropers 
and government heroes. The Government is 
going to hear of this, Sam, and I hope that 
there will be more boys like you coming over 
the Santa Fe trail with the same courage and 
a fife and drum.” 


* 


* 


Glorieta Pass is today an interesting spot 
on two modern highways, both of which, fol¬ 
low this Pass through the mountains. Three 
of the original twenty-three rooms of the 
Spanish post are still standing. In the room 
128 


FROM A CEDAR THICKET 



which served as the postoffice, one can see 
this same hole in the adobe wall through 
which the bullion used to be passed to the 
stage driver. Here also is a collection of In¬ 
dian relics, Spanish guns and powder horns, 
and many different kinds of saddles. Parts 
of the old corrals used by the government are 
still standing. 



129 





























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